Recipe

The Pueblo people of New Mexico taught Spanish settlers to love the piñones, or pine nuts, of the area. Among other uses, the Pueblos ground the rich nuggets into a meal or flour, a technique we borrow here. We prefer to make the pancakes with blue cornmeal, also originally from the same people, because it adds another element of nutty flavor.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

For the syrup:

2 cups apple cider, preferably unfiltered

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 canela stick, or other cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon butter

For the pancakes

1¼ cups piñon (pine nuts)

¾ cup all purpose flour

½ cup cornmeal, preferably blue

1 tablespoon sugar

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1¼ cups milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 drops almond extract

Vegetable oil for pan-frying

Directions

Toasted piñon (pine nuts), for garnish (optional)

In a heavy saucepan combine the cider, com syrup, and canela. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and continue boiling until reduced by about one-fourth. Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in the butter until it melts. Keep the syrup warm or reheat it before serving.

In a food processor, process ¾ cup of the nuts briefly until ground. Avoid processing them so long that they turn to butter. Add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt and process just until a coarse meal forms. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the eggs, milk, butter, almond extract, and remaining nuts. Chill the batter, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes.

Heat a griddle or heavy skillet. Pour a thin film of oil into the skillet. Fry the pancakes a few at a time, about 1 minute per side, adding more oil as needed to keep the pancakes cooking evenly.

Serve the pancakes, garnished with more pine nuts if you wish, accompanied with the warm syrup.